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It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”